AoL - MM Controversies

Ah yes – one of the most popular debates on the face of the planet – or at least video gaming circles.  “Which Zelda game is your favourite one?”  Ask most people this question, and 95% of the time, you’re bound to be told that either Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past is the best one out there.  Rarely will you ever hear someone say, “Wow, I absolutely loved Majora’s Mask!” or “Adventures of Link is the best Zelda game out there!”  You’re much more likely to hear someone tell you how much those two games…well, sucked, to say the least.

            I’m not one of those people.  Rather, MM and AoL rank up there as my favourite Zelda games.

            This is the point where you cry out blasphemies or faint in shock.

            Still with me?  Good.  Since I’m sure most people out there are wondering why I picked the two most popular “worst” Zelda games, allow me to explain.

            I’ve been into gaming since the beginning.  Ever since my neighbours introduced me to the Atari and Q*Bert, Galga, and the like, I’ve loved video games, and received an NES, Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt, and The Legend of Zelda when they were first released, courtesy of my godmother.  I loved the Zelda game instantly, and played the game numerous times even after I’d finished it.

            With the release of Adventures of Link, however, my fondness for the series grew.  The new side-scrolling graphics, an inventive new storyline, and even the new abilities bestowed upon the Hylian hero only fueled me along.  Mind you, most people will stop right here and ask me how I could like something that was so different from its predecessor.  To that, I say “Exactly.”  It was different.  The dungeons were more complex, different enemies, tougher bosses, and the necessity to speak with villagers made this game so much different from its predecessor, and that’s what I liked the most about it.  So the graphics were of a side-scrolling nature; I actually thought it was better that they had an actual LINK in there and not a tiny little sprite with eyes.  So there were lots of slightly random battles; this actually was a good idea, as the idea of random battles and leveling up was taken to even higher and more complex levels with the introduction of the Final Fantasy series – which, mind you, is still going strong. 

            Alas, I lost touch with the Zelda series for awhile there.  Since I was never given nor purchased a SNES, I missed out on the splendor of Link to the Past, and have only recently played this at a friend’s house.  I had a Game Boy as well – along with Link’s Awakening – but my time was spent more on the Street Fighters and Mortal Kombat styled games.  Plus, before my parents divorced, my father had taken it upon himself to buy me and my siblings a Sega Genesis system, and thusly we were introduced to the fast-paced worlds of Sonic the Hedgehog, Road Rash, et cetera. 

            Not until my siblings and I received a N64 just a couple years back was I reintroduced to Zelda.  Of course, my first two games purchased for the system were Mortal Kombat Trilogy and Ocarina of Time.  Like most people reading this editorial now, my jaw also dropped when I finally was able to see the land of Hyrule after such a long drought in between journeys.  The graphics were gorgeous, the characters (for the most part) more fleshed out, and the dungeons and bosses much more detailed, with elements such as specific music, creatures, and the like adding to the atmosphere of the place.

            What I didn’t like about the game was the storyline.  A friend and I made it our summer project to finish OoT, and I can honestly say that when I finished it, my reaction was, “That’s it?  I journeyed all this way – defeated these monsters – and sealed away Ganondorf for this?”  I also did not like the aspect of Zelda lording over Link’s every move, the lack of personality that was given to the Hylian hero, and the nauseating repetitiveness of...well, everything (especially Zelda’s Lullaby – if I hear that song ever again, it will be too soon).  The personalities of the minor characters had much more colourfulness than the main ones as well – Ganondorf’s past was revealed in bits and pieces, but when I finally met him, I was expecting much more of a challenge than was given to me.  Zelda seemed useless at least 95% of the time.  The ending of what most people called a “masterpiece of a game” really added to my annoyance, and I hoped that the good people at Nintendo weren’t going to churn out another clichéd storyline.

            Enter 2000 and the release of Majora’s Mask.  To me, it seemed that someone over the Pacific pond had been listening.  The environments were more lush and colourful; characters had even more spunk to them (even Link, who was a child yet again in this game); and best of all, the storyline was completely reinvented.  No longer was Zelda meddling in affairs she didn’t understand – much to my delight, she had but a small cameo in her own game.  The storyline in this game centered more along rescuing the world in only three scant days from an unknown evil rather than once again saving the helpless princess from the big ugly bad guy, and had a much-needed air of urgency and darkness to it than its predecessors.  I loved fighting with the spirit of Majora at the conclusion – he gave me the much-desired challenge and spontaneity that Ganondorf was lacking in Ocarina, and instead of being (in my opinion) unnecessarily returned to the past upon defeating the evil, Link set off once again to search for what he had been looking for all along – the plight in Termina had been only a side-quest of his, in a sense.   

            These games, in essence, rejuvenated the Zelda series, in my eyes.  Their uniqueness should be celebrated, not abhorred.  To the people who despise these games – or worse yet, the ones who won’t even give them a chance – I say throw your fears aside and play.  I’m sure you’ll find something to like in one or both of these misfit Zeldas.

            If anything, hey – Navi isn’t in either game.  That’s got to be a plus, at least!